Heart's Prison
by Artemis Fenir
Summary: I'm not good at summaries, but here goes...It's AU. Vayne goes to live with his cousin Flay and meets a beautiful girl. The more he gets to know her, the more he sees that life isn't all that bad. Vayne x Jess I SWEAR THIS STORY IS NOT DEAD!
1. Arrival

_January 29, 2010_

_It's been two months since Dad died. It's been five months since I've seen Sulpher. It's been even longer since I've felt close to someone. She looks at me like it's my fault Dad died. It's my fault he wanted to drink and drive, I guess. I didn't know. I barely made it out alive myself. It's shameful to admit but, I wish I had died with him. I wouldn't have to see her cry. I wouldn't have to face the fact that my older brother wouldn't even come to our father's funeral, or even visit me in the hospital. This emptiness inside me, it seems like my only company. _

_She's kicking me out. I have no right to live in the house of the man I killed, she said. Maybe she's right. Maybe she's wrong. I never really knew the man I called my father. Sulpher despised the man. Claimed that pure venom flowed through the man's veins. _

_I'm moving to Vegas, to live with my cousin Flay. It's been a while since I've seen him, so I'm a little nervous. I know he'll greet me wholeheartedly. That's what I'm afraid of. I've never been to Vegas before, and Flay's only been there a year. Actually, it's my first time leaving West Virginia. He says I'll love it, which means I'll hate it. Still, I have nowhere else to go, and at least I know Flay will be there for me. Maybe it'll be nice to finally get rid of this emptiness. This new chapter of my life starts tomorrow. I only hope I don't somehow screw this up._

_Vayne Aurelius_

The sun peeked through the curtains, old, musky, ratty things but they were all Flay had at the moment, and shined in his eyes. He groaned. Being awake was too painful. Being alive was too painful. He rolled over, away from the light, back into the shade. How long had it been since he wanted to get out of bed, since he had energy? He sighed. He wanted nothing more than for the sun to just leave him alone, like everything, everyone else did. Except the nightmares. They never left, and he had a gut-wrenching feeling that they never would.

The alarm rang. That meant it was 9 A.M. Time for his pills, bunch of good they did him. He slowly worked his way out of the bed and stood up, then scratched the back of his head. There's one obstacle out of thousands accomplished. If only Dr. Zeppel knew how ignorant and grating that sounded to him, each and every time he said it. He opened the drawer of the bed stand next to him and pulled out a prescription bottle, popped the lid off and took two of his pills dry. Hopefully he'd choke on them. His wish never came true, as usual. It felt like he'd been performing this morning ritual for years, instead of just a month and a half.

There was a knock at the door.

"Vayne, it's 9 o'clock! You can't possibly still be asleep. The early bird catches the worm!" Flay's booming voice sounded like it was next to him, not separated by a thick wooden door. "Breakfast will be done in two minutes. I expect to see you there in 90 seconds." As he listened to Flay's retreating footsteps, he couldn't help but smile a little, even if it didn't reach his eyes. Classic Flay, running his house like a well-tuned machine. How could he expected any less?

He stood there for a long moment, trying to predict the rest of the day. It couldn't be too bad, right? It certainly couldn't be worse than its predecessors. He grabbed a green polo and a pair of old, faded jeans and slapped them on. He inhaled deeply, and put his best happy face on. It wouldn't do for the whole world to see him for who he really was, especially Flay. Good God, he could never let Flay know. The thought struck sheer terror through his heart.

* * *

"Vayne, you are late. Just be glad that I am in a gracious mood today and that you are my cousin, or else your punishment would be fierce!" At first, Vayne wasn't quite sure if he should take his older cousin seriously...until he laughed in his usual fashion. He silently thanked whoever would listen for Flay being in a gracious mood.

He took a seat at the dining table between him and Roxis, who had roomed with Flay for the past three years. He had met Roxis a few times before, since he was Flay's personal assistant and traveled with him. Even though they were the same age, he acted so much more mature and stand-offish, but they still got along fine. Neither one of them acted like normal, fun-loving young adults, after all. He gave a quick nod to the blond, who was reading the morning newspaper, and was glad to receive a nod in return.

He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Flay. It won't happen again."

"Damn straight it won't. Next time, I will not be gracious and it will not matter if you are blood, I will make sure of it." He cracked his knuckles and smiled. Vayne made a mental note to try and wake up at dawn from now on. Better safe than sorry.

"Flay Gunnar! You be nice to Vayne! It's his first day! You apologize to him right now!"

Vayne turned in his chair to face the new voice. Behind them stood a pretty and young girl, he guessed close to his age, scowling at Flay with her hands on her hips. He had no clue who she was, and yet she somehow knew him, or at least of him. Maybe she was a friend of Flay's. He couldn't imagine Roxis having any close frinds.

"Ah, Vayne, meet the lovely Pamela, our housekeeper. Are you ready to serve us breakfast now?"

Her scowl deepen, which didn't take away from her beauty, he noticed. "No! Not until you apologize for being mean."

Vayne thought he saw a look of defeat in his eyes, but he must have imagined it because his face was a mask of confidence. "But Pamela, I told him to be here in 90 seconds, and he arrived in 93 seconds. It is not my fault he was late. I was merely warning him that next time, it would be wise to arrive on time. But, to appease you, I will apologize. Vayne, I'm sorry that you were late."

Roxis quirked an eyebrow. "That wasn't really an apology, you know." But his words fell on deaf ears as Pamela accepted the pseudo-apology and skipped to the stove to start serving breakfast.

"Um, Miss Pamela..." Vayne scratched at his head. "How do you know me?"

She laughed as she turned to face him. "Please, just Pamela. Miss Pamela makes me feel so old. I'm not that much older than you, silly boy. I'm only Flay's age."

"Oh, I see." He smiled at her, a weak attempt but it was genuine. " You don't look much older at all. Really, I thought you had just started college."

She giggled. "Listen to him. The boy has a glided tongue, Flay. You never told me that."

He snorted. "You never asked."

"Still so mean..." She rolled her eyes playfully. " I was informed a few days ago that his shy and sweet younger cousin was moving in, so of course I took an interest in you. You sound quite the opposite of Flay."

"He obviously is, since he can't even complete a simple wake-up call. I gave an order, he should have followed it."

"..I'm sorry, were you talking? I thought I heard a buzzing noise, but I'm not quite sure."

Roxis grunted. "Pamela, as much as I _enjoy _this display of witty banter, our eggs are getting cold."

"Oh, whoops!" She tried to amend her mistake with a dazzling smile that would have worked on _anyone, _including Roxis. He rolled his eyes and grunted, which eventually turned to a small chuckle.

No one knew, not even himself, that a smile grew on Vayne's face. Maybe this move wasn't so bad, after all.


	2. Language

_Dear Diary,_

_Just came home from work. Flay wasn't there, which is odd. I know his cousin just flew in a few days ago. Maybe he's spending time with him? Oh well~! I dunno why he even thinks he needs to be there. I can take care of myself fine! Still, it's sweet of him. A real gentleman...kinda lol. Today's shift wasn't too hard . A quick dinner and show, really. They even played "Tik Tok" as my background song. Best part, the pay-out was pretty good, too. Good day, all in all._

_Actually, the day ended on a bad note. Anna. She doesn't seem to understand that we need this job! It makes me so angry! I have to do whatever it takes to support us! She needs to go to school, and I'm going to make sure she does! She can be whatever she wants, and I'm going to make sure of that! I love her, I really do, but does she get what her success means to her, to me? This is all I can do, period! If only I coul..._

(The rest of the paragraph is illegible, stained heavily by spilt tears)

_Hopefully, one day I won't have to do this anymore. One day, right?_

_Jess Philomele_

She rolled around a bit in bed. She was alone this morning, no clients last night. She stretched out luxuriously, then yawned. It was early, Anna hadn't woken her up yet. Then again, this argument was worse than usual. It might take a few hours for her half-sister to calm down. She ran her fingers through her long hair. It felt nice to use her hands for something meaningless, something trivial. She sat up slightly and looked around for her phone. Maybe she'd text Anna and see if all was forgiven. As much as they both loved each other, they drove one another crazy sometimes.

She spotted the phone on her vanity and huffed. It was so far away, an astounding 2 feet. Nevertheless, she drug herself out of bed and staggered to her phone, picked it up, fiddled with it, then finally texted her sister.

//Anna? Where u at? T-T//

It took a few minutes for her text to be answered.

//last second run to store no lucky charms someone ate the last box last nite brb 3//

The text made her smile. Lucky Charms was their favorite cereal but expensive, so for Anna to go to the store to get it meant she wasn't angry any more. Plus, the heart did help assuage her fears.

Well, she was up, so she might at well get dressed. Today was her first day-off in a while, so she planned to enjoy it with her sister and doing what she loved best: making home-made bombs. They were so loud and expressive, something she could never be. Instead, she would pour herself into these tiny bombs and pretend that the explosions were her screaming, whistling, shouting. She knew it could never be, but it was comforting. She tried to explain it to Anna once, but she couldn't quite understand. Jess didn't expect her to; she had a voice and could make noise, a mute couldn't.

She whipped around to her well-equipped stereo system (a present from a previous client) and turned on RuPaul Charles' "Don't be Jealous of my Boogie". She pranced around the room as she did her clothes, hair, and make-up. Everything she did, she needed music for. She loved music, everything about it: the expression, the freedom, the feeling, the voice. She let it flow through her and inside her. She loved it, and envied it within the same thought. Once again, something she could never do. But, she would live on. She had to. She'd weathered through worse, and would continue to do so.

Something in the background conflicted with her music. She stopped whirling and looked at her phone, which was the culprit. She picked it up and smiled. It was from Flay.

//How was your performance last night? I hope it was alright that I couldn't attend? I had other pressing matters to address.//

She rolled her eyes. For some reason, Flay found it below himself to "text-talk", as he called it.

//I was fine last nite was wondering where u were tho I hope ur "pressing matters" wasnt too bad//

//No, no. It was all fine. I am just glad to hear of your comfort and safety. Today is your day-off, yes?//

//yeah it is wanna hang out?//

//No, no. I do, however, want to know if it was alright that I send my cousin to pick up my red and black belt I lent you a week ago?//

She giggled. She had kind of forgotten about the belt.

//no prob send him over anytime//

//Thank you, Jess. Will I see you tomorrow?//

//if you come to my show lol//

//Then we shall see each other there.//

//kay ttyl//

//Bye.//

Jess ran her fingers through her hair again. She noticed that it felt really nice, she'd have to remember to do that more often. So she would get to meet Flay's cousin. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. And in usual Flay fashion, she had no idea when he would be here, or what he would be like. She went back to her vanity and stated to finish her make-up. It sounded a little vain, but she was pretty enough to go without make-up. She just wore it as a habit for her job. When she finished, she turned off her stereo, grabbed the belt, and began to walk downstairs. She reached the middle step when she heard two voices: Anna's heated, confrontational voice and a male, panicked voice.

"How dare you try to sneak into an unprotected female's house?!"

"I-I'm sorry! No one answered the door and it was unlocked so I-OW!- Flay said it would be-OUCH!- alright! Please don't hit me anymore!"

"A likely story! Oh my god, I bet you're one of Jess's stalkers! TAKE THIS!!"

"JESUS, PLEASE HAVE MERCY!"

Jess ran downstairs as quickly as she could. If this was Flay's cousin, and Anna didn't know he was coming, this was a formula for disaster. She turned the corner form the living room into the kitchen and, from what she saw, she didn't know if she wanted to laugh or cry. The contents of the Lucky Charms box was scattered all over the floor and on top of Flay's cousin's head. He was couched on the floor, covering his head with his hands and wincing each time Anna slammed him with the now destroyed red cereal box. She placed her face in her hands. Leave it to her little sister to beat an intruder with a cereal box. And win.

She ran over to her sister and grabbed the box from her hands. Anna looked at her like she was mad, insane, crazy, basically like she usually did when she would suggest making bombs in their basement. The younger girl tried to grab the box back, whirling her arms around to get it.

"Jess! This man is a danger to you! He's a stalker! You must give me the box back!"

The man now looked up at her in relief and gratitude. She noticed he had deep ocean blue eyes, which she had really never seen before. They were quite pretty, almost feminine, but with a sense of virility. He quickly stood up and brushed all the cereal off himself. "I'm not a stalker! Flay sent me over here to pick up a belt!" He rubbed the crown of his head. "I never knew getting hit by a cereal box would hurt..."

Anna looked at Jess. "When did Flay say he was sending his cousin over? Can we really trust him?"

Jess rolled her eyes playfully. The things her sister thought of. She put the box down and used her hands to speak. //He texted me this morning. I didn't expect him so soon, though.//

Anna frowned. "Ah, so he was already on his way when Flay contacted you."

//Yes. That's why you didn't know.//

"Um, I don't mean to be rude..." The man cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I don't know...sign language. I'm Vayne, by the way."

Jess blinked. She didn't even think about that. How horrid of her. She would have to use Anna to talk, then.

//Anna, would you apologize for me?//

The blue-haired girl smiled. "Of course!" She then looked at Vayne. "I'm Anna and this is my older sister, Jess. It's very nice to meet you."

//And apologize for beating him with our Lucky Charms...which I was really looking forward to.//

"And I'm sorry about beating you."

He smiled brightly, but it didn't seem to completely reach his eyes. "It's alright, I understand."

Jess pulled out the belt and handed it to him, smiling sweetly. //Tell Flay I'm sorry about keeping it for so long.//

"Please tell Flay she's sorry about keeping it for so long."

"I will." Vayne then turned and left, but only after smiling at Jess and waving. The girls heard the door shut behind him.

Anna smiled. "Well, he seems very polite and nice."

//Yes. Though, I can imagine getting beat by a box of cereal would do that to anyone. By the way, please tell me you bought two boxes.//

"Well...heh...I'm sorry?"

Jess sighed. Well, at least she still had her bombs.


	3. Doubts

_February_ _3, 2010_

_I can't stop thinking about that girl, Jess. I know I only met her and her sister (Dear God, please don't ever let me meet her angry again!) today, but I feel something...I feel connected to her. Also, I feel like shit around her. Here I am, perfectly healthy and I'm moping all the time. The girl can't even talk, but she seems so...happy-go-lucky._ _I'd like to talk to her more, really get to know her. She had intelligence in those beautiful meadow eyes._

_Flay told me that he's know her since he's moved here. He meet her in the supermarket and was "instantly intrigued". I can't blame him. He hasn't meet Anna yet. I don't want to be there when they finally do meet._ _He says that she's a good kid, but cares for her sister too much. The way he said that, it was like she gives herself as an offering or something. I wonder...what it's like to have someone care for you that much._

_I've never seen the light at the end of the tunnel. Quite frankly, I've always been slightly pessimistic. Always expect the worst. Seeing her, though, her smile made me feel...lifted. Like there was some hope in the world, somewhere. I just had to find it. Now, I don't even mind the fact that I didn't die in the crash, or that Isolde hates me. It's weird, this feeling. I kinda like it. _

_Vayne Aurielius _

Vayne sat at the dining table, looking at the wanted ads. He had been trying to find a job for a few days now. He didn't want to live off Flay. Who knows how that would come back to bite him in the ass. He twirled the pen he had been using to mark the paper between his fingers. Since he was in Vegas, he thought it would be slightly easier to find some employment. Only thing he could find was butcher or bouncer. Of the two, he was leaning toward butcher.

The voice behind him startled him. "Vayne, what are you doing up so early? It's only 7." He turned around to see Roxis, holding an arm load of papers. The blond settled down beside him, dropping the stack on the table.

"Trying to find a job in the papers. What are you doing?" He eyed the stack. What could it be?

"These are _all _of Flay's files that I have to go through. He makes me do it the 4th of every month. It's to insure that records are kept properly." Roxis pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and gave a weary, strained smile. "And for 3 years, I have never found a thing out of place."

Vayne chuckled lightly. "That's Flay for you."

"Exactly. Wants the work done, but won't do it himself. I can't blame him, though. I'm 100x more capable than him." The blond man snorted. "Chaos would be delightful compared to the mess Flay would make."

He almost busted out laughing. He wasn't quite sure if Roxis was being serious, or if he was actually making a joke. Either way, he couldn't disagree. Suddenly a thought hit him. "Hey Roxis?"

"Hm?" His companion didn't tear his eyes from his work.

"You know the people Flay knows, right? I mean, you are his personal assistant."

"Correct. Why?"

The sliver-haired male tried to nonchalantly turn his head away so the other couldn't see the blush creeping up his face. "What can you tell me about Jess?"

Roxis stopped for a moment, then put his work down. "She's a delightful girl and, excuse me for a lack of a better phrase, quite outspoken. She's kind, sweet, and intelligent. Her only flaw really is her letting her sister entertain such ludicrous ideas." He then shuddered.

Vayne cracked a smile. "You've met Anna?"

"...I really don't want to recall that particular time of my life..."

This time he did laugh. "It couldn't be worse than being beat with a box of cereal."

"Oh yes, it can." Roxis then turned thoughtful. "Why do you want to know about Jess?"

"Oh, um–!" Vayne scratched the back of his head. "She just seemed like a nice girl."

A blond eyebrow arched. "That's it?"

"Um, yeah. Do I need another reason?"

"Well, no..." Vayne looked at Roxis hard. Why did it look like he was hiding something? The blond then cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, but I must quit the idle chit-chat. I do have work to do. So, if you don't mind..."

He flinched a little at the almost harsh tone. "Oh, yes. I'm sorry for keeping you."

They both worked in silence for a while afterwards. The longer Vayne stared at the newspaper, the more white and black bled together. Gray. Gray like his whole life. No, not his whole life. Not since yesterday...Maybe it was her charisma? It would make sense. People like him were attracted to people like her. Attracted. It was true, he did find her incredibly beautiful. Too beautiful, in fact. She was too perfect. There had to be something wrong with her. There was no way she could be so...so...perfect.

What would Dr. Zeppel say? Was he looking too much into this? Maybe. Then again, nobody's perfect, right? Why was he even thinking this? He just met her yesterday. Side-effect. A side-effect from his pills. They were making him love-sick, stir-crazy. That made sense... Well, more sense than his new found obsession, anyway. None of this made sense. Nothing made sense since the accident...

The alarm on his wrist watch rang. 9 A.M. Had he been in thought for that long?

Roxis looked up from his paperwork, staring at him oddly. "Why do you have an alarm set for 9 o'clock?"

"N-no reason." He quickly got up and left the room. He made a mad dash for his bedroom, flung open the drawer, and rapidly downed his pills. He could imagine the shame if anyone knew about his pills. He gripped the bottle tightly in his hand. He could hear the seconds tick by as he stared long and hard at it. He was putting too much thought into Jess, way too much. She was just a girl, just a person. Like everyone else. And, like everyone else, she would just leave him. He softly put the bottle back into its safe place.

He looked at his watch. 9:2 A.M. He had been staring for two minutes. If he hurried, Flay might not notice him being late. He sprinted out of his room, trying his hardest to put that happy face on.


	4. Bared

A/N: For the past three chapters, I've put the journal entry before the day's events. This time, however, I'm putting Jess's journal after the night's events. The journal, basically, will be written right after the events about to take place. I just thought I would clear that up beforehand.

Jess was leaning against her car, having already cleaned up from tonight's performance, waiting for Flay. She had seen him in the audience and he had already texted her about seeing her after her show, so he could talk to her. She had been waiting for a few minutes now, and it looked like she'll be here all night. She huffed. It was cold, and Anna was probably worried, even though she had texted and told her she was going to be late.

She leaned her head back as her mind started to wander. She had been thinking about that Vayne boy since he left her house yesterday. The way he smiled at her, it was breath-taking but...it never penetrated those soulful eyes of his, so deep and lost. He had looked so happy, except for those eyes. Anna had thought something...similar. She chuckled lightly to herself as she remember that conversion...

"_I tell you, Jess, the man had Shinigami eyes! How else could he have looked so happy with eyes like those?" The young girl crossed her arms. "Tell me, Jess!_"

/_He does not have Shingami eyes, Anna! That's a little silly, even for you! Maybe...he's just really sad about something?/ The mute shrugged her shoulders._

_Anna narrowed her eyes at her. "Don't tell me you aren't the least bit interested!"_

_/I don't know! I just met him five minutes ago!/_

However, she was interested in him. She couldn't think of anyone but him. She dreamed of him last night, she even turned down extra money because she couldn't stop thinking of him. She lightly pulled at her hair. This was driving her insane! How could she possibly let any man make her feel this way?She sighed. She just needed to calm down. It was probably because he was the only guy she'd met in a while that wasn't asking for something from her...Though, she was sure once he found out she was a stripper, he would jump at the chance. All men do.

"Ah, Jess. Deep in thought, I see." She turned to see Flay approach her. He was sauntering causally, a shit-eating grin on his face. "Tell me, what were you thinking about?"

She glared at him, although it was playful. / You are late, Flay./

"I was a bit held-up. But, I am here now and that's all that matters."

/Alright, so tell me why I'm here./

He laughed, the sound seeming to get under her skin. It was such an ominous feeling. "Yes, well...I have a proposal, of sorts." He crossed his arms. "And I promise I will pay for your time."

She arched an eyebrow. Flay had never asked for anything from her...She worked for him, of course; he was the owner of the strip club, Heart's Prison. So technically, he never asked for anything outside of work. Jess remained silent, unsure how to answer him.

Flay chuckled lightly. "It's really a win/win situation for all parties. I've decided to dabble a little bit in...match-making."

/Match-making?/

"Yes, match-making. Now, tell me, what do you think of Vayne?"

What did she think of Vayne? Was Flay...? Was this the "match-making" he was talking about? She loved Flay like an older brother, but he really didn't need to butt into her love life. She was a stripper, strippers have no love life. She covered her face in her hands. She didn't need this. She wouldn't be able to take another heart break. She swallowed the breath she was holding.

/He seems like a good guy. He's very quiet./

"Jess, is that all? Omission of the truth counts as lying."

She watched him grin wider, likely due to the stunned look she had on her face. He knew she never lied about anything. It almost felt like he trapped her. / Fine, I think he's cute, too. Happy?/

"My, Jess, are we getting testy? I'll just cut to the chase, then. I want you to get to know Vayne better. He needs a good girl in his life, and you need a boy that would treat you right. You and Vayne would be a perfect fit for each other."

She glared at him for real this time. /I'm a stripper, Flay. Of course the man is going to want to get to know me better./

"Don't tell him you're a stripper. Just tell him you work for me. Leave it at that. What do you say, Jessica? Like I said, I will pay for lost wages."

She blinked. /You never said I wouldn't have to work./

"Oh? I didn't? Well, I'll pay for days you don't work. I do have plenty of other women who would gladly strip." His nose wrinkled after that last statement. "You can spend more time with your sister and getting to know Vayne."

She frowned, raw emotion building up in her throat. /And if we fall in love? What, then I tell him I'm a stripper? No, I'm sorry, Flay. I'm not putting myself through that./

"Hmm..." Flay seemed to be in mock thoughtfulness. "Then, how about...Double your pay?"

It took her a minute to process that. Double what she's paid...to not strip? To be nice to a guy she was already interested in? Anna...would be thrilled she wouldn't have to do this anymore. But, she did have to do it again, eventually. What a situation she was in. It was a situation she was getting paid for, however.

/Fine. I...accept your offer./ She felt a way of defeat wash over her, oddly replaced with a sense of calm.

"Thank you. I knew you would see things my way." He opened her car door for her. "I'll send him over tomorrow morning with your paycheck."

She nodded numbly, climbed in the car and drove off.

_Dear Diary,_

_What a night! I'm so numb and confused right now, I'm just glad Anna was asleep. What is Flay thinking? More importantly, what was I thinking to agree to do this!_

_I have a headache. I'm going to bed._

_Jessica Philomele_

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this out! Busy, busy, busy! And, please don't think the journal entry is a cop-out because it's so short. I just imagined that Jess wouldn't have much to say.


	5. Discovery

**A/N: I am sooooo sorry for the 3 year wait on this x.x I could write a novel on all the bullshit that prevented this fic from being finished, but then you'd get really bored and probably make a voodoo doll of me. So, since that's NOT what I'm wanting, I'll give you chapter 5 instead. Also, I'm sure y'all are smart enough to know when Vayne and Jess are talking to each other using his phone (you'll see what I mean), so I won't have to put –He looked at his phone- every time.**

_February 5, 2010_

_The more I think, the more I dream. The more I dream, the more I think. It's a vicious cycle, and I'm not sure if I want to pull myself from it. I'd handle anything life threw at me if it meant I could pretend that I could possibly have some happiness with a nice girl, if only for a second longer. I daydream about her, about her smile and her happy eyes, and I wonder if one day I'll ever find out how it feels to smile like that._

_I called Dr. Zeppel the other day, trying to get my prescription sent to me so I can have it filled here, but he wants to mail it to me. Doesn't he know that if Flay or Roxas or even Pamela were to find it, that it would be the end of me? I tried to make him understand, but he won't listen. Now, I'll have to keep a closer eye on the mailbox._

_On a slightly brighter note, I got a letter from Sulpher. It's pretty much what I expected, meaningless filler with him expressing the slightest bit of concern for me. At least it's something, I guess._

_Vayne __Aurielius_

Thankfully, Flay was reasonable and let Vayne see him at 9:30, just enough time to take his pills and pretend that he _wasn't_ a pessimistic, depressed lunatic with an obsession about the first pretty girl to be kind to him since the accident. He sighed as he stood in front of the oak doors of his cousin's study, it sounded so much worse when he put it that way. Well, it wasn't like it could sound any better, either…

He was so engulfed by his thoughts that he missed the doors opening and the tall red-haired man tower over him. "Vayne, is there something wrong, or are you going to stand in front of my doors all day? I do have business to attend to and matters I have entrusted you with."

"O-Oh…Sorry, Flay…"

"I'll forgive you this time, but next time, I will not be so forgiving. Now, hurry and take this to Jess." The older man quickly thrusted an envelope in Vayne's hand and promptly turned to walk away before Vayne stopped him.

"Hey, wait! Why couldn't you do this yourself?"

"Because I told Jess you would, and I am no liar, so do not make me out to be one." Flay continued to walk back into his office, effectively ending the conversation. He heard Vayne sigh before shuffling off to do his bidding. As he closed his doors, he picked the mail up he was reading before Vayne came to his door.

"Dr. Zeppel, hm…?" 

* * *

Vayne knocked on Jess's door, swearing to himself that he'd stand out here all day if he had to. He wasn't going back in unannounced; else Anna would beat him with a box of Trix instead. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long before Jess opened the door.

Her face was slightly red and she was panting, probably ran to the door to keep a repeat of last time from happening. Her hair was probably at one time done, but the frantic running loosened its hold. She was wearing a simple powder blue baby doll top and some black tights, which was fine with Vayne. He didn't like girls who wore at least three different tops. It just seemed kind of counterproductive to him. He then moved his observation to her face. The first time he saw her, she was wearing make-up, but this time she was bare, and she was beautiful…

He was jerked away from his staring as a pair of fingers was snapping themselves in front of his face. He could swear his face was hot with shame from being caught looking at her. However, by the cheery smile on her lips, she either didn't mind or didn't notice. She wagged her finger at her, beckoning him inside.

As soon as he stepped inside her house, the realization of an immense problem smacked him in the face. How was he supposed to communicate with her? The same thought seemed to strike her, as she whirled around and looked at him oddly, then at her hands. They stood there facing one another in silence for a while before a thought hit him.

"H-Hey…you have a cell, right?" She nodded, so he continued. "You could text me, that is if you don't get charged for texting…" Her face lighting up pulled a smile from his. He felt like a knight in shining armor with how happy she was looking at him. "Here, gimme your phone and I'll put my number in for you."

She happily handed it over to him, and their fingers brushed against one another. Vayne felt a tingle go up his arm, and his smile widened. If only for just one day, he could pretend he was normal, he could laugh and love and simply…_be_. He quickly dialed in his number and handed the phone when he remembered what he came here for.

"Oh yea, your paycheck…" He dug it out of his pocket to hand to her, feeling that same tingle as their fingers touched again. She placed the check on the nearest counter space and quickly whipped out her phone. When his phone vibrated, he checked it.

/thnx so much! I really app it! :D/

"It was no problem, I just hope I wasn't interrupting anything." She looked at him oddly, so he elaborated. "You looked like you ran to the door…"

/Oh! Silly boy :P I was playing FONV and ddnt hear the door at 1st/

He laughed, a real laugh. "I've never met a girl into video games before. You play Halo, too?"

/Like ttally! I play with Flay all the time!/

"Yea, I watched Flay play once. He…gets pretty competitive." Another laugh and a smile from her, today was a good day for him. Maybe…maybe Dr. Zeppel was right. One obstacle out of a thousand accomplished, and maybe he only had a few more to do…

Jess grinned at him and his heart skipped a beat. He could spend all day looking at her, and little did he know that he would.

/hey did u ever get a tour of Vegas? I could show you :]/

He didn't even have time to answer before she was throwing on shoes and taking his hand, dragging him out the door.


	6. Skip

**A/N: WARNING! What you are about to read is made up, mostly. I know very little about drugs or medicine, so I totally just winged it here. Totally.**

The pharmacy was loud, crowded, and busy – three things Roxas hated in any store. He took one more look at the prescription in his hand and sighed. What was Flay thinking? This was _Vayne's_ business, not theirs. They had no right, no matter what Flay said…

"_Roxas, as my assistant, I'm asking that you take this and get it checked out."_

"_Flay, this isn't really of our business…"_

"_Yes, it is. He is __**my **__cousin and __**your**__ friend. Who better to help him than us?"_

Blasted Flay, he had a point. Even if Vayne and him weren't the type of friends to hang out and drink beer on the weekend, they _were_ friends, albeit strange ones. However, if he didn't want to talk about it, they didn't have the right to pry. Even Flay would know this. Something rotten rumbled in the pit of the blond man's stomach. He didn't believe in the supernatural of any sorts, but he couldn't shake the retched feeling he had…

"Excuse me, blondie. Yoo-hoo!" A female voice sounded from somewhere close by.

Roxas snapped his head up, he must have moved up in line without knowing. He looked up to address the pharmacist and choked. She was pretty and grinning, her blonde hair looking as if she hadn't brushed it in days and on her head perched a kitty-ear headband. "A-ah…"

"Hey now, c'mon! Don't be shy, it's okay…We all have embarrassing prescriptions that have to be filled out!" She grinned wider at him and he felt his heart skip a beat.

Roxas cleared his throat and tried his best to regain his composure. "I don't have a prescription to be filled, rather – I have a question about a friend's prescription…" He leaned over and looked at her name tag. "…Nikki. And, I was wondering if you could help me."

Nikki the pharmacist turned thoughtful for a few minutes. He felt nervous for some reason, and just as he was about to leave, she spoke.

"Is it a prescription for Xynotrophine?"

"Y-Yes, how did you know?"

Nikki quickly grabbed the prescription and looked hard at it. Worry bloomed across her face and Roxas knew that the gut feeling from earlier was indeed correct. Her eyes shifted from side to side and she leaned in to whisper. "Listen, I shouldn't be doing this but… I've seen what Xynotrophine does to people. It's a highly experimental anti-depressant, and I wouldn't give this to anyone."

He looked at her, puzzled. "Why not? And how do you even know? No offense, but you _are_ just a pharmacist."

"Hey! I'm way more than a pharmacist! I just…wanted to be one, that's all." The look of embarrassment and defiance on her face told Roxas otherwise. "…Okay, I can't hold down a job. Graduate the top of my class, and for what? My peers to tell me I'm too freakin' hyper… Well, anyway, lamenting on my part aside, if I could meet your friend, I could tell you exactly what to put him on, if anything at all."

He blinked, not quite understanding how she could do such a thing. "And how will you accomplish that?"

She grinned at him again. "I have majors in Medicine, Psychology, and Counseling as well as a Master's in Advanced Psychiatric Nursing. I think I know my stuff."

"With all that, you could be anything you wanted!"

"Yea, I know…. Like I said, I can't hold down a job… Well, I'd rather be Nikki the lowly pharmacist than Nicole the… uh, super awesome doctor person."

Roxas cleared his throat. "That's all good and well, but _how_ do you plan to meet him?"

She perked up, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "He got a girlfriend?"

"Uh, he's seeing someone casually, I suppose…"

"Simple then, silly! We go on a double date!"

The blond man's face turned several shades red. "A d-double date? As in…"

Nikki sighed playfully. "Yes, as in me and you and him and her, duh. How else was that gonna work out?" She rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a phone and slid it across the counter to him. "Gimme your number and we'll totally set this up." She winked and, he could swear he heard this correctly, purred at him. "I haven't been out with anyone as cute as you in a long time, so much sure it's some place nice but not stuffy."

If his face wasn't red before, it was now. "C-Cute? I-I – "

"Aw, you're shy! That's cute!"

"I AM NOT SHY!" He gritted his teeth at the wildly smiling girl before him. "I…just….Blast it, give me the phone." He quickly put his number in, grabbed the prescription and stormed off. It wasn't until half way into the parking lot his phone rang. Assuming it was Flay, he didn't bother to look at the number when he answered.

"Flay, couldn't you wait til – "

"You forgot to get my number, so I thought I'd help. Oh yea, and my schedule would be nice to have to, don't you think?" Nikki's voice sang on the other end. He facepalmed in the parking lot. He had completely forgotten about that. "No worries, I'll text you my schedule later. Bye… Cutie." Before he could even respond, she hung up.

As Roxas climbed into his car, he couldn't tell if he was hot from embarrassment, anger, or… something else. Exactly what had he gotten himself into? Oh God, and he had to explain all this to Flay. The man was going to have a hay day with this…

Suddenly an idea hit him and he grabbed his phone, quickly pulling up a number and calling. The person on the other end promptly answered.

"Wassup?"

"My name's not Cutie, it's Roxas."

"Alrighty, Roxy, anything else?"

"…No, that's it."

"M'kay, bye Roxy!"

He hung up and sighed, refusing to admit there was a small smile forming. He could deal with Roxy.


	7. Giddy

_Dear Diary!_

_It was so freaking fun to show Vayne around today! We had ice cream and fast food and candy and I even took him down to my basement where I make bombs! AND HE LIKED IT! He said it was cool and interesting and stuff! I think… I think I'm really glad I took Flay up on his offer, because seeing him smile and stuff made my tummy flip._

_He even called me like 5 minutes ago and asked me out on a date! Well, it was more like Roxas asked him to bring me along on a double date. Imagine, Roxas on a date. That's just… weird. But I'm so happy that Vayne asked me to come! I can't wait for this weekend!_

_Jess Philomele_

It was around noon when Jess finished her lunch and went back to staring at her phone, something she had taken to doing all morning long. She soooo wanted to text Vayne, but she didn't want to seem clingy. He obviously liked her, there was no doubt in her mind after yesterday and the fun they had, but she didn't know when to make a move or if she even should.

She laid her head in her hands, her elbows planted firmly on the table. It was days like this that she wished Anna didn't have such a crazy college schedule – she wanted her sister home so she could whine to somebody.

Jess had just started to drift off when a persistent beeping started coming from her phone. She fumbled with it a bit, the noise having sent her into panic mode, before looking at the screen. Her face split into a grin as she read the text.

/Hey, hope I'm not interrupting your lunch or anything, or bugging you./

She couldn't help but squeal. Jess found it endearing that Vayne was above "text speak" like Flay.

/no ur fine was bout 2 txt u NEway/

/Oh, okay. I just wanted to thank you for yesterday. I really had fun./

Jess let out another squeal. He had fun with her, and wanted to thank her. Okay Jess, calm down now, she told herself, act like a _normal_ girl – not a girl craving attention.

/ur welcome :D I ttly had alotta fun 2! We shold do it agin sumtime!/

/Of course, I'd love to. Oh, and before I forget, Roxas said that we were going someplace really nice. I hope that's okay?/

Someplace nice? Like, nice nice? Like, Vayne was taking her on a nice date nice? Like, she needed to get dressed up and be pretty and Vayne will pick her up and they'll have a good time and fall in love nice?

/yes of course! Im so excited! :D :D :D/

She regretted that as soon as she sent it, facepalming herself hard. God, she sounded so desperate. Maybe she could think of a way to make herself sound not so clingy and touchy, maybe she didn't screw everything up –

**BEEP! BEEP!**

Jess looked down at her phone, her grin returning and magnifying twofold.

/I'm probably even more excited, I really wanted to take you someplace nice since we first meet I really like you, Jess. Wish I could keep texting, but Flay needs me. I'll talk to you later./

Yep, she was in love with Vayne already.

**A/N: Yes, filler chapter is filler. I just wanted to show that I'm still writing. I had plans for this chapter, but then I scrapped it. It wasn't going where I wanted this to go. I promise a better chapter next one, and it to be filled with our favorite wild child, Anna ;3**


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